This narrative called Life keeps tossing us in both, at times simultaneously. During intense periods, that unseen Writer might even arc completely through several short stories. Forget slow chapter development. Pages fill with the magnificent and the mundane. The preposterous and the poignant. The heart warming and the heart breaking. And that fragile, bewildered character in the middle of it all? I think we all recognize him/her.
Given the number of surprise twists in my story, my author must have reveled in sharpening the quill and draining the inkwell. That is ... until I took hold of the quill. Enter deus ex machina -- the setting is changed! For after a decade in the West Coast, we decided to hitch our wagon for Washington DC. And we are loving it.
So here I am, having walked off my own pages to write my new story. And that blank page, with my quill poised upon it, is pregnant with Hope.
*************
We are settling into our little stretch of forest right off the Beltway. While not as spartan as Henry David Thoreau's experiment when he "went to the woods", we also hope to "live deep and suck out all the marrow of life".
And so I am savoring
butterflies in the bushes,
 |
| Eastern Tiger Swallowtail in the garden |
dancing fireflies and hooting owls,
my treetop nook (where I curl with my book),
all the while, engulfed by the Capital
 |
| iPhone snapshot of Degas' Little Dancer National Gallery of Art |
 |
| Exploring literary life in the MidCity Revival district |
Dodging plot twists has kept me from being a consistent presence on friends' blogs in recent months. But I sincerely hope to reconnect and wish for our paths to cross here in Washington, DC, virtually or physically. Perhaps together we can enjoy music, literature, art, dance and all those wonderful things that make Life worth living and inking into our personal Anthology.
What shall we write now?
I would simply love to have a treetop room like yours. I can imagine myself on that couch with a book now! It was lovely to find you had commented on my blog again. I had thought of you just the other day and wondered how you were getting on.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the note, Jenny! I was so glad to take part in your delightful blog travels again.
DeleteI have tried to create a reading nook in every single room of the house, but this is certainly the coziest spot right now! I'm actually re-discovering Chekhov in it, but not Chekhov the playwright we admire in the West. Rather, it's the Chekhov loved by the Russians, in his short stories, before he became that Chekhov.
I was so thrilled to receive your comments - and thus get news of how and indeed, where you are now! What an adventure. Your new location/new life/new home/new encounters - all of it sounds rather wonderful. Great to have these glimpses and very much looking forward to more installments in the unravelling tale...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rosalind! I find your unravelling tale of a life blossoming in Oxford and London absolutely wonderful too.
DeleteJust saw your comment on my blog! I'm so excited to see and experience this unfamiliar, nearby city through your unique gaze. I've been there a few times, but I've never spent more than two days there. What do you think of Chinatown (the one place our friends took us)? And we stayed downtown. I loved the row houses there, reminiscent of San Fran kind of. I love your reading nook, can imagine gazing out the window for hours, and that statute is one of my all-time favorites, and I hope we get a gentle winter this year for your sake! We're due one; last year was over the top ridiculous, so you're probably in luck. Would love to ask what neighborhood you're living in, but you probably don't want to share that over the internet. I have a lot of friends in the DC area, since I lived in Virginia so long, and they seem to really love it. Would love to hear more about your decision to make this big move. We also have lots of friends in California, and we really debated moving there, instead of merely an hour outside New York; now my husband has a new job in Philly, so we'll be bi-city but probably not bi-coastal anytime soon. We're excited for you guys. Yay, for four distinct seasons :).
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on this big move and best of luck!
xx
Izzy
www.BrooklynBooksandBabies.com
Thank you, Izzy! I am actually thrilled to see 4 seasons again (and lush forests vs. parched land!). We have lots of East Coast things to talk about ... and how interesting (and challenging) to have your bi-coastal life too. Best of luck with your husband's work and yours. We need to visit Philly sometime too. I have a niece at U of Penn right now and owe her a visit. "Talk" to you soon ...
Delete